sullied 1 of 2

adjective

as in stained
not clean lying in sullied bed linens that had not seen the inside of a washing machine for some time

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sullied

2 of 2

verb

past tense of sully
as in blackened
to make dirty people that sully our state parks with their trash a once-gleaming marble interior sullied by decades of exposure to cigarette smoke

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sullied
Verb
Shortly after Palace’s next match had finished, a defeat by Everton on the opening weekend of the new season, his reputation among the supporters had been sullied again. — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Such shenanigans are more or less expected, and certainly haven’t forever sullied the American soccer fan base, at least here at home. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 7 July 2026 Soap invited its viewers to take jabs at the genre in a time when the soap opera’s reputation had already been sullied in the American mind. — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026 He was accused of abusing boys, a charge that went unproven but sullied his reputation in Europe. — Amanda Rosa updated April 28, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026 But a battlefield promotion to Ayatollah was arranged, blending faith with politics in an exercise that critics said sullied both even before Khamenei reinforced his position by earthly means, elevating the IRGC. — Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026 Revelations in 2020 that Boohoo’s Leicester contractors were subjecting their workers to exploitative pay and unsafe conditions certainly sullied the Midlands city’s reputation. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026 The publicity emails sent from Amazon regarding the movie have no individual names or email addresses attached, as though no one wanted their career or personal brand sullied by association. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026 The Golden Globes are a pure and true celebration of artistry that stand for unflinching moral justice and should not be sullied by avarice! — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sullied
  1. stained
  2. blackened
  3. filthy
  4. dirtied
  5. muddy
  6. besmirched
  7. dusty
  8. soiled
Adjective
  • How To Deep Clean Stained Wood Baseboards For stained wood baseboards, Matthews advises dusting using a dry microfiber cloth and Murphy’s Oil or a wood cleaning oil (remove excessive dirt and crumbs with a vacuum cleaner first).
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The stained glass above the front door had fallen into the street, held up only by a single cord.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of stained
Verb
  • Corbin uses cabbage as an anchor in his new and expanding Rolodex of flavors, thrusting it into the fire until the outer layers are blackened and frizzled.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Timber Fire Monterey County’s Timber Fire burning near Big Sur has blackened nearly 2,500 acres since its start Monday afternoon and is 5% contained.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of blackened
Adjective
  • People were filthy in so many ways, so Mike really wrote that in.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
  • While sinks can become filthy from soap splatters and dirty hands, toilets need cleaning for very different reasons.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of filthy
Verb
  • When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025
Definition of dirtied
Adjective
  • The area where travelers went through border control to enter or leave China has been flattened to a muddy area, according to satellite images.
    — Niranjan Shrestha, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • And then there’s the Kiyosaki residence, a rambling Moroccan fantasia with muddy adobe walls and a pink door.
    — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of muddy
Verb
  • Our nation’s capital is besmirched, on his say-so, with signs and banners bearing his likeness and name.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Bryna Laub, editor of Daytime Serial Newsletter, felt the show besmirched the sanctity of soaps and contributed to the broader currents of shame surrounding the genre.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
Definition of besmirched
Adjective
  • Choose from more than 20 colors, including dusty pink, fall-ready forest green, and classic cream.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The arc could be, for instance, a chance alignment of unrelated stars, the product of gravitational lensing from a background galaxy, or a dusty region that happens to mimic a stream's shape.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of dusty
Verb
  • Lamb checked out of the room the next day, and a housekeeper found three large trash bags filled with bloody towels and linens that were also soiled with human waste, according to the report.
    — David Goodhue August 21, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
  • When To Wash Sheets In Hot Water Washing sheets in hot water every time isn’t necessary for linens that are lightly soiled—think no sweaty nights or sickness.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of soiled

Browse Nearby Words

sullenness
sullied
sullies
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Cite this Entry

“Sullied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sullied. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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